Police on Sunday said that the accused behind the alleged molestation and stalking of two Australian women cricketers in Indore, was apprehended after an intensive strategic operation which lasted for about six hours.
Aqeel Sheikh, who has been remanded to police custody for two days by the MIG Police Station, also holds a past criminal record, news agency ANI reported citing additional deputy commissioner of police (crime branch), Rajesh Dandotiya.
The accused is a resident of Azadnagar and has been booked under Sections 74 and 78 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), according to the MIG Police Station in-charge, CB Singh.
“Australian team management security in-charge reported an incident where the FIR has been registered under section BNS 74 for inappropriate behaviour and BNS 78 for stalking. With the intensive strategic operation of six hours, we arrested the accused named Aqueel Sheikh, who has a criminal background… He appeared before the court yesterday, and we are interrogating him. After completing today’s police remand, we are going to produce him before the court, and we are trying to send him on a judicial remand,” Dandotiya said.
What had happened?
Around 11am on October 23, when two Australian women’s cricketers left their team hotel to head to a cafe ahead of their clash against South Africa, they were allegedly inappropriately touched.
The cricketers informed their security officer, Danny Simmons, about the incident, following which a complaint was lodged at the MIG road police station. Singh added that the police are also examining if there were any shortfalls in the security protocols.
Political wrath after the incident
While the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association (MPCA) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) slammed the incident, a political slugfest broke out over the alleged molestation of the cricketers.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi took to X and condemned the incident, saying, “Disgraceful. We boast about economic growth, but, we continue to fail providing safe spaces for women. What a shameful act.”
Congress’s state unit president Jitendra Patwari condemned the incident where a “deranged individual inappropriately” touched an Australian cricketer.
